Luxury ship will visit 425 ports in 150 countries on a 3.5-year cruise: around the world in 1,301 days

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A month ago, a three-year cruise was canceled at almost the last minute. Now a new operator is stepping into the breach with an even longer cruise – for those who don’t want to give up their lifelong dream of a wanderer’s life in luxury on the high seas.

“A new era of travel and discovery,” says the organizer’s website. The Villa Vie Odyssey plans to sail as early as May. A British-Norwegian shipping company has just purchased and renamed the 30-year-old, 924-passenger ship.

The luxury liner is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation that is expected to take about eight weeks. Once launched, the ship will visit 425 ports in 150 countries.

From $89 per night

From just $89 per night you can get a 13 square meter interior cabin with food, laundry and cleaning services and internet included. The internet in particular will likely be crucial for customers deciding on this longest cruise in history. The organizers hope for entrepreneurs and digital nomads who can do their business on board anywhere in the world.

“It’s a continuous cruise that never really stops,” Mikael Petterson, founder and CEO of tour operator Villa Vie Residences, told the Washington Post. “Our goal is to make this more of a lifestyle and place to stay, more than a typical cruise.”

“It’s less of a cruise or vacation,” Petterson says. “It is people’s home, where neighbors become family.” You cannot rent cabins, but villas.

Without windows or with a huge balcony

According to Petterson, retirees are also showing great interest. Some want to participate in the ship’s entire maiden circumnavigation. Others opt for shorter bookings. There are currently 160 reservations for the 485 cabins.

The cruise ship has eight decks with three restaurants, a swimming pool and whirlpool, a business center, a medical clinic and a communal kitchen where guests can also prepare their own food.

The cheapest tour – in the $89 windowless interior cabin – costs $115,789 for the three-and-a-half-year trip, plus taxes and fees. For $20 more per night you can get a sea view, and for $199 per night you can get a balcony villa with 60 square meters of outdoor space. Cabins can even be purchased as an investment.

From Southampton to West Palm Beach

After starting in Southampton, England, the first three months of the voyage sailed through Northern Europe, followed by 131 days through Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. After Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan, the South Pacific, South America and the Caribbean, the last stop is West Palm Beach, Florida.

Petterson: It won’t be long before Villa Vie Odyssey continues its world tours. (kes)

Source: Blick